Book Musings | January 2019

January has always been seen as a time for renewal, for moving forward, for starting something new, and in all honesty, this month hasn’t felt like that to me at all. It’s been a pretty exhausting first month of 2019 for me. Luckily, I managed to read three books this month. While I wish I had read more than that, I am still on track to reach my goal of reading 50 books this year. It’s a number that I’ve reached before and one that I want to reach again this year. Another goal of mine is to read even more diversely than I have in previous years, more authors of colour, more female authors, more books about LGBTQ+ characters and authors. This will continue to be a goal of mine for years to come and one that I want to be able to achieve more and more each year, and hopefully, as the world become more representative of the people within it, the more we’ll see diverse and inclusive books by diverse authors.

The first two books that I finished in 2019 were from author Ruby Lang. I had had Ruby’s books on my TBR list for a few years and actually read my first Ruby Lang at the end of 2018, which was Hard Knocks, the second book in her Practice Perfect series. The first book I finished was Acute Reactions, the first book in the Practice Perfect series, and centre on the story of Petra and Ian, whose relationship starts off because of Ian’s allergy to a cat. Not only was it a really great book to start the year off with, but I also loved how Petra and Ian came together, despite some odds, and really pushed each other to grow and become better and stronger, individually and together.

Clean Breakswas the second book I finished and the final book in the series. Sarah and Jake have known each other most of their lives, they grew up together, one of the few Asian families in a very white community, and lost connection once Sarah moved away for university. Over the course of their relationship, they learn more and more about each other and it fascinates them both, they are what each other needs and it was really beautiful seeing the two of them finally get together and get their happily ever after.

I really enjoyed reading Ruby’s Practice Perfectseries. I loved all three of the heroines, Petra, Helen, and Sarah. I had never read a romance series where the heroines were doctors, and female doctors of colour, too. Getting to see these characters find love, balance their family life, their medical practice, and get their happily ever afters was just brilliant. I also loved the friendship that all three heroines in the series shared. It wasn’t just that they were friends and business partners, but they respected each other, they pushed each other’s but were always there for one another when the other needed them. They didn’t back down when one pushed the other away, they just came back with a stronger retort. I highly, highly recommend you check out this series!

The third and final book that I finished in January was Becomingby Michelle Obama. Becoming was actually my first foray into audiobooks, and getting to hear Michelle Obama tell her own story added so much more depth to the story. This book is Michelle Obama’s story and I loved every part of this book. It’s the story of how a girl from the South Side of Chicago became the first African-American First Lady and so much more. It’s a story of perseverance, of fortitude, of resilience, focus and drive. It’s a story of family, of love, of motherhood. It’s a story of finding your place in the world and protecting and nurturing it and becoming the person that you’re meant to be. It’s an absolutely incredible story, and one I think everyone should read. The story not only made me appreciate Michelle more for what she has done and what she’s accomplished, but also because of the hard-fought battles that she’s won to get where she is today. If you haven’t read it yet, I implore you to do so!

Well, that’s my January musings. I hope your January wasn’t as crazy as mine. I hope your February is a splendid and calm as I wish mine could be.

What were your favourite books you read in January? Any recommendations?